Revolution-Union Preview

The New England Revolution aren't confusing confidence with cockiness, remaining on an even keel despite being rather dominant during a five-game unbeaten streak.

When things weren't going so well earlier in the season, the Philadelphia Union got the best of them.

New England will look to continue its hot streak by beating Philadelphia on the road for the first time Saturday night.

The Revolution (5-3-2) have outscored opponents 12-2 over their last five, including a 5-0 victory over Seattle on Sunday. Diego Fagundez scored twice as New England won its third straight.

"I think in this league, consistency is the biggest challenge of any team to try to win week in and week out," defender Darrius Barnes told the club's official website. "That's something this team is striving to do. To be one of the better teams in the league, you've got to go in and prove it week in and week out."

The Revolution also realize that their success may only be temporary if they can't sustain it throughout the course of the year.

"We haven't accomplished anything yet," goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth said. "We have a long season in front of us, and we need to take this game as if it was the first game."

New England didn't score its first goal until the fourth match, starting 0-2-1 and falling to the Union on the road 1-0 on March 15. The Revolution have lost four straight and settled for a draw twice in six trips to Philadelphia.

"Philadelphia's been a place that we've struggled to get results and everybody knows that," Shuttleworth said. "I think we'll be ready to play. I think the guys are rolling a bit and we need to keep that going."

The Union (2-5-5) hope to build on their last performance as well. They suffered through a team-record nine-game winless streak after their victory over New England before defeating defending MLS Cup champion Sporting Kansas City 2-1 on Wednesday.

Coach John Hackworth had been taking some heat for the slump, and his players ran to the sidelines to celebrate with him after the win.

"We're behind him and he knows we are behind him," said Danny Cruz, who scored the game's first goal. "We just wanted to show to the media and to the fans that was big for not just us but for (Hackworth). I think you could see the fight in everybody for that big reason."

The Union's two goals matched their total from the previous five games.

"Everyone feels pretty confident in the offense," goalkeeper Zac MacMath said. "Now it's about taking that into this match against New England and finishing out this stretch on a high note."

Philadelphia will be without two starters, though, as Maurice Edu will be in camp with the U.S. national team and Fabinho will serve a suspension for yellow-card accumulation.

The Revolution are hoping team captain and last season's MLS defender of the year Jose Goncalves can return after missing the last four matches with a right quad strain.

"He's comfortable, he's strong," coach Jay Heaps said. "It's good to have him back (at practice) this week and continuing to get into the contact drills. I think this week will be an important week for him."